Prep softball notes: Spina and Hoover duo building on success from last year

IT'S UNUSUAL for a freshman to come in and make an impact right away at a key position such as pitcher or catcher. Last season the Novato High softball team not only had one such player, but two, at both positions.

The battery of pitcher Samantha Spina and catcher Zoe Hoover was thrown right into the mix and proved to be a formidable tandem in the MCAL last season. Spina was among the league leaders in wins with 11 and strikeouts with 124. She also hit for a .392 average. Hoover batted .324 and scored 27 runs in her debut season. With a year of service under their belts, the duo plans on continuing their success in their sophomore campaigns.

"High school wise, it was a lot to take on the pitching, seven innings, two days a week, that was a lot," said Spina, already with three wins and 60 strikeouts this year. "As in facing batters and working with Zoe, it wasn't anything new because I'd done it before."

Although they were rookies last year, Spina and Hoover were far from inexperienced. Both players had been around the game for years prior to getting to high school, so it was more like coach Donald Smith got a pair of veterans instead.

"Me and Sam, we've known each other for a while, so we knew how each other thought and how to feed off each other," said Hoover, hitting .364 with eight RBIs to her credit. "That helped a little because we knew how each other played."

"They play softball year round so they're constantly in competition and pitching and catching in games," said Smith. "That's what kept them on top of the game coming in from eighth grade. It's not like they had just come in off a tryout. That's what put them ahead of the rest of the girls and ready to compete on the varsity level as freshmen."

Spina and Hoover played together on travel ball teams, so their chemistry was already clicking as high school players. With a year of experience, the familiarity with the teams and players in the league will only add to the two's effectiveness together.

"Together, Zoe and I know some of the batters, so we know how to pitch to them," Spina said.

The Hornets made significant progress to their program in 2012, finishing with a 13-13 records overall, 9-9 in the MCAL compared to Smith's inaugural year with the team when it went 0-18 in league play. Players like senior captain and center fielder Laughlin Silvestri want to see their squad make another leap in the standings this season.

"Everyone is really motivated to play and work their hardest," said Silvestri, hitting at a .438 clip so far this season. "I really think anybody has a chance, it could be anybody this season. Whoever wants it the most."